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Vol.3,
No.12 — June 23, 2006
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:: GEARING UP FOR JUNIOR 9-BALL ... Opening rounds of the Junior & Collegiate 9-Ball Championships are scheduled to begin on July 5 at the Student Union Memorial Center Billiards & Games Room, on campus at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Over 150 players qualified at events nationwide earlier in the spring, and will compete for top spots in the long-running championships. [ recordbook | qualifiers | entrants ]
 The three-day BCA playoff for juniors will be capped by an awards banquet on Friday evening, with the naming of the 2006 All-Americans, followed by division finals on Saturday. ACUI collegiate playoffs will begin on Friday and run through Sunday.
A mandatory player meeting is scheduled on Wednesday, July 5, at 10:30 am, followed by opening rounds at 11:00 am. Mike Howerton, of AZBilliards.com, will provide online event brackets once play begins.
Top finishers in each division will also become eligible to compete as members of the US National Team that will travel to Sydney, Australia for the WPA World Junior Championships in November.
In addition to regulation 9-Ball, the 14-year tradition of “artistic pool” competition will also be offered. Organized by Tom "Dr. Cue" and Marty "Ms. Cue" Rossman, this unique and exciting championship will be held throughout the playoff week. Each player in the four junior divisions will have the opportunity to “take the artistic challenge”… in an easy to understand format and at a convenient time. Youngsters will be guided through the four shots and challenges in their division, and the top two point finishers will receive an award. [ recordbook ]
IMPORTANT NOTE: The University of Arizona will charge admission to the facility ($3/day or $10/week) for all non-competing guests and spectators. Players will be issued admission badges for match play at registration, along with any pre-ordered banquet tickets. There will be no sales of added banquet tickets on site!
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| :: BACK TO BILLIARDS |
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 BCA Freight Savings Plan ... could save you $$ on your Baltimore shipping. Siriani & Associates offers up to a 62 percent discount with Roadway, and Roadway guarantees every exhibit shipment at no additional charge! The discount also applies to your shipment from the show. Call 800.554.0005 to make sure your account is set up and your discounts are in place.
End-of-Month Deadlines are coming up ... for early service orders for the Baltimore Kickoff show. Paperwork must be submitted for certificates of insurance, independent contractors and directory ads NO LATER THAN JUNE 30. Find links to downloadable forms and added information, at the online Exhibitor Manual. Other deadlines follow in rapid succession, so keep an eye out for more cutoff dates in July. |
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SGMA BILLIARDS DATA AVAILABLE |
 The Sporting Goods Manufacturer's Association [SGMA] ... issued its 2005 report earlier in the year, citing an estimated 36 million pool players in the U.S., making billiards one of the most popular activities tracked by American Sports Data.
Although the latest SGMA industry data also reported a slight dip to $240 million in billiard table sales, the overall sporting goods profile was shown to outperform the overall economy with industry sales growth of about 6.8%, compared to the U.S. economic growth rate of 4.3%. [ more ] |
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PUBLIC RELATIONS UPDATE |
OLN + IPT = MORE POOL ... The team at Alan Taylor recently assisted with the promotion of OLNs agreement to air the IPTs "King of the Hill" series. Showdates began on June 18, and are listed for broadcast through the end of July. [ more ]
 “We believe the International Pool Tour’s intense competition, production value and sports drama make it a good fit for our schedule,” said Victoria Quoss, OLN’s Vice President of Programming, International and Strategic Planning. “Millions of people play 8-Ball all over the country and the IPT is taking the sport to a whole new level. The series will not only appeal to pool fans, but to sports fans in general." [ press release ]
OLN (originally the Outdoor Life Network) is a cable television channel owned by Comcast. In September 2006, it will change its name to Versus, and promote a more generalized competitive edge in coverage. |
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- ATC also ... arranged for Jennifer Barretta to write a memoir for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution regarding how influential her father was to her successful sports career [ read it online ]
- ... Secured a placement in Jane McManus' June 2 sports television column in The Journal News on OLN's launch of the IPT
- ... Received confirmation to promote BCA’s support of “9-Ball”, starring Jennifer Barretta
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 Help ATC pitch your line
... Want to see your company in the news? All
BCA Business Members are encouraged to submit their latest product
news to Tom Cosentino.
He’ll use your information to design a
pitch for the best possible fit, and print and
broadcast media will make their own final selections
on which items to feature.
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MEMBER MARKETING
101 ... From "52 Ways to Make Pool Everybody's Game" |
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TIP № 33 |
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Hold a Grand
Prize Sweepstakes |
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STRATEGY: |
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People will do almost anything for a chance to win. If the prize is a high-ticket item, people will frequent your business to improve their chances. Your business can benefit greatly from the publicity of a fantastic Grand Prize. When you give away something people value, you encourage customers to spend more time — and money — at your business. |
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EXECUTION: |
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- Choose a great Grand Prize such as a trip to Hawaii, a big-screen TV, a mountain bike or a pool table as well as fun “secondary” prizes (accessories, T-shirts)
- Work with prize suppliers to get a price break in exchange for free publicity
- Create tiers of prizes so entrants have a better chance of winning (e.g., One Grand Prize, one First-Place Prize, three Second-Place Prizes and 100 T-shirts)
- Use direct mail, newspaper, Internet and radio to direct people to your store to register
- Discuss legal issues pertaining to sweepstakes with your attorney
- Enter all registrant information into your database
- Host a live radio broadcast (see Tip 17, Book No. 2) as the prize announcement party
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NEW DATES FOR CNN'S "LIFE AFTER WORK" PIECE |
- Paula Zahn Now (8pm-9pm EDT) - Thursday 07/06
- American Morning (8am-9am EDT) - Friday 07/07
- Live From (3pm-4pm EDT) - Friday 07/07
- In the Money (1pm-2pm EDT) - Saturday 07/08
- In the Money (3pm-4pm EDT) - Sunday 07/09
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APA League Operator Tom Gates ... will be featured on CNN a bit later than originally reported. The five-minute 'Life After Work' segment features individuals who do something out of the ordinary in their retirement. It has been re-scheduled to run during five different CNN shows, over four days in July, and is expected to reach a total of around 2.5 million viewers. |
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| :: MEN'S SEMIFINAL TO HEADLINE ESPN AIRINGS IN JULY |
 BROADCASTS COMING UP ...
The men's semi- and final rounds will lead off the debut airings of the EnjoyPool.com 9-Ball Championships on July 9, at 3:00 pm eastern. That Sunday afternoon lineup will begin with Ralf Souquet vs. Efren Reyes (far left) in the first hour, followed by the final between Souquet and Johnny Archer at 4:00 pm.
The men's semifinal was a grueling hill-hill match between Souquet and Reyes, in which neither was able to capitalize on their break through the first seven racks. Souquet finally pulled ahead 5-3, only to have Reyes rally to even at 6-6. Reyes had the break, but missed a combo on the one ball and Ralf went on to run the final rack and advance to the finals against Johnny Archer. [ more ]
The following Sunday, the 16th — same time, same station — the women's semifinal and final rounds will be aired, with Jasmin Ouschan taking on Helena Thornfeldt in the early round, and Allison Fisher in the final. Be sure to tune in! |
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| :: BCA MEMBER NEWS |
:: BCA PROFILE |
RST2 International ... was founded in 2003 and is owned and operated by Robert Tertel, Steve Zervos and Jerry Cockrell. This group combined their talents to develop dynamic accessories like the Turtle Tapper and the new Chameleon multi-game tight-rack.
As the official rack sponsor of the Junior & Intercollegiate 9-Ball Championships, the RST2 Chameleon will be featured at the University of Arizona next week. |
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The Chameleon is the first rack to give the player the ability to rack four individual games using one easy-to-use device. It also has tightening features for each game, ensuring the quality of your rack each and every time. [ more ] |
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 TANYA HOLMES ... recently accepted a full-time hire to the BCA as Associate Director of Trade Services & Development, after filling in as a temporary staffer at the national office since March.
Tanya’s background includes over a decade of providing executive and administrative support to Senior Level Executives, as well as several years of coordinating events, projects and people in a variety of roles in various industries. Prior to joining the BCA, she was a Senior Administrative Coordinator at the world-renowned Center for Creative Leadership in Colorado Springs.
Originally from New England, Tanya relocated to the Pikes Peak region in 2005. In her off hours, she enjoys spending time with her son, going white water rafting on class V rapids, visiting museums, hiking, camping and taking in the beautiful scenery of Colorado Springs.
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:: PRODUCT HIGHLIGHT |
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NEW SCHOLARSHIP POSTER RELEASED ... The BCA and Billiard Education Foundation [BEF] have released a new promotional flyer, urging young cueists to pursue higher education through scholarship. [ more ]
The 8.5 x 11" glossy flyers are available on request (send an email, or call 719-264-8300 x116). It can also be downloaded as a PDF file. Click on the image for a larger view and post one today! |
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| :: BCA NOTES & NEWS BRIEFS |
| BREAKING NEWS ... |
... Main Street Productions ... selected this artwork by Susan Vollmers as the winner of its promotional t-shirt design contest. |
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... National Championship ... links have been updated for all BCA Member Leagues, allowing browsers to locate season-ending results for 2005-2006.
... The Rocky Mountain State Games ... will feature billiards competition in the first weekend of August. [ more ]
... The BCA Pool League ... has issued the online brochure for the 6th BCA National 9-Ball Championships at the end of August. [ download the pdf ] |
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BIG AD FOR BEF |
The President's Council on Physical Fitness & Sports ...celebrated its Golden Anniversary with a special tribute publication entitled "The First 50 Years: 1956-2006."
The glossy commemorative contained a series of retrospectives and fitness-oriented feature articles, along with the ad shown below for the new and improved BEF Curriculum Guide (pg.31). |
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The new ad promotes "Pool in School" and billiards as a lifetime sport, along with the BilliardEducation.org website info prominently displayed. |
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| JUNIOR NATIONALS |
Attention Juniors & Parents! AZBilliards.com will be the website of record for hosting the player brackets during the upcoming Junior & Collegiate 9-Ball Championships in Tucson. Mike Howerton has offered to manage the brackets while he is onsite to cover the event.
Players will also want to pick up a copy of the souvenir event program, which will contain venue and staffing info, welcome letters, schedules, player lists, recordbooks and much more. [ online info ] |
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 An exclusive service to Billiard Congress of America Business
Members, the
BCA
Member Update
is announced via email twice monthly and
archived
online. Please print and circulate this newsletter widely and feel
free to submit your comments
or contributions to BCA Executive Director
Stephen D. Ducoff
or Director of Communications/Editor Linda Mojer. |
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Copyright © Billiard Congress of America |
NEXT
ISSUE: Vol. 3, No. 13 – July 7, 2006 |
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